This invention relates to the electrolytic production of fluorine.
The production of fluorine by the electrolysis of a fused electrolyte containing potassium fluoride and hydrogen fluoride is well known. During the electrolysis heat is liberated and therefore the electrolyte must be cooled if the electrolysis is to proceed at a constant temperatature. The cooling of the electrolyte has been performed by using cooling tubes placed in the electrolyte in the electrolytic cell and/or by cooling the outer walls of the electrolytic cell by surrounding those walls by a jacket through which a cooling medium is passed.
In one form of apparatus used for the large scale production of fluorine the electrolyte is cooled by using internal mild steel cooling coils which also act as the cathodes of the electrolytic cell. Cooling is effected by passing water through these cooling coils. Should these coils become holed, as may occur when, for example, an anode breaks or becomes detached from its support and forms a short circuit between the cathode and other anodic electrodes within the cell, the electrolyte becomes contaminated with water. The electrolytic cell has to be taken out of service whilst the cathode is repaired or replaced and the electrolyte is changed.